Richard Polenberg (1937–2020)

Our songs are our history. Our history as seen by those who sang them, anyway.

This book takes a number of well-known American folk songs about historical events and sums up the history behind them. It's not trying to tell the full history of America, or the full history of the songs for that matter, but it gives a nice overview for most of the songs and lists additional references.

For the most part, the songs are well-chosen and widely known, and the historical summaries both interesting and concise. I can't recall ever seeing a book that gives a better feeling for the sort of material that becomes the subject of folk song; neither have I seen a book that covers so many of the best-known songs.

I do have to point out that the first and last songs, "St. Louis Blues" and Woody Guthrie's song "Sacco and Vanzetti" are not folk songs (that is, they have not been found in oral tradition). That's a nitpick, since you still have two dozen genuine folk songs in this book to study -- more, really, since there are two songs about Naomi Wise, and more than that about Pearl Bryan, and more than a dozen on the Titanic (although only a few of those are mentioned, and somewhat mixed up).

The only down side -- the reason I give four stars instead of five -- is that the facts are occasionally a little off. For example, the Titanic did not sink "four hundred miles southeast of Iceland" (p. 223) -- the closest land was Newfoundland. I found some similar minor errors in other entries. For those who just want a general overview, this won't matter much, and there really is no other book like it. By all means read it, although be sure to check the facts before depending on them entirely.… (meer)

This book is a combination of history, sociology, true crime, and, of course, music. I was fascinated by it all.

The author clearly did extensive research, not just regarding the history of the songs, but also the circumstances surrounding the events. With each song discussed, Polenberg places us right in the midst of these people's lives. We're part of the society in which they live. We feel the struggle to survive, the racism, the sorrow, and the pride. We see the truth behind the people immortalized in song, and how those songs evolved over time.

I wish this book had an accompanying soundtrack. While I knew many of the songs, there were some I'd never heard of, and it would be ideal to have them all available to listen to as we read. Polenberg does share snippets of each song's lyrics as we go along. None of the song lyrics are shared in their entirety, which is a bit of a disappointment but also understandable. Many of these sounds went through dozens, if not hundreds, of changes over time.

A foreknowledge of these folk songs is absolutely not required in order to enjoy this book. The stories stand on their own, with or without having heard the songs.

This book is a profound look at early American culture, and should appeal to readers looking to experience a piece of that history.

*I received an ebook copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*… (meer)